Method of writing music.



R..J. GRANT.

METHOD OF WRITING MUSIC. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20, 1909.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

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sol Za si da do re mi fa sol (a si 4% i All 3 M H A v uHWw r"? A b V lI-IIII-IIIIIIIII citizen of the United States 'a key-board andused in have invented a certain new UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

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To all whom; it may concern: Be it known that I, Rounirr J. GRANT, a residing at ennsylvania, and useful Method of Writing Music, of which the following is a specification. yf invention relates in general to the ciiiarly designed .to' render the readin of music more easy and accurate, and to aid beginners in becoming familiar with the vocal scale, etc.

Primarily the object of my invention isto provide written music-in colors wherein each tone of the vocal scale Pittsburgh, in the State of of any particular tone.

Incidentally,- y object is to represent by colors the sharps and flats involved in changing the he and in general to facilitate the reading of music and the ition of the key by a color scheme as hereinafter described. In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, Figure 1 repre sents' parts of the ordinary two clefs with the scale written thereon in the key of C, ac'-- cording to my color scheme. Fig; 2 is a similar illustration for the key of D.. Fig. represents a chart who placed on or near 7 connection with musicfln order to indicate in colors the key corresponding to the colored notes-as I ii the partial tire view of Fig. 5', in which the sea plied to a-pianoor organ-t; Fig. 4 is a view similar tothat of Fi 1 showin .the key of B flat and Fig. 6 iows a m ified plan for indicating the key.

In music'as atpresent written, each note is representfid by a certain sign which is exactly th same as the sign for any other reading the vnote, its meaning being rec gnized only by A position on the clef.

Consequently, there music to give to 1S nothing in the written any itself a distmctiv e characteristic appealing tothe eye, or which can be carried in the memory. Moreover, in vocal music, the separate tones of a e are noteven represented uniformly by anything whatever, for though in any particular key the speculation of Letters Patent.

Application and August so, 1900.

' note do for example has one position relative 1c representation of music, and is par graphically (Fig. q)

Patented Feb. 3, 1914. semi in. 518,801.

to the clef throughout,

music requires rve the color and her neigh- It s well known in psyogy that the mind, ins and remore easily than shape positions, and it will be evident therefore that my invention provides a simple written easv. In the accompanying drawings it will be 1 that in the natural or key of C, the seven tones of the scale are written clef, a, beginning with a blue note for the do and Iproceeding with brown, green, yellow, hlac red, and purple in order; while in the bass clef, whose distinc tive color is red,'the scale begins with the do in red, and proceeds with the col brown, green, yellow, and black, in the same order as iii-the treble clef. Throughout the piece music, in this key key, the fundamental or key. identified with the color blue in the treble s owing always the key note may change the color of the correspond with the color'which the key note has in the natural or key of C, clef sign in brown, for example, will show that the key is D, since the D is brown in the natural key and the flat signs show that it is D flat without the s or,

or -any othernote do is thus I 2 1,085,603 necessity of counting or locating .these flat From the above description it will be apparent that the use of my invention involves signs.

In Fig. 2, which represents a scale in the no change whatever in the present style of key of D, it will be observed that the same writin music, except the use of a distinccolor scheme follows as before, and the sharp tive co or to represent each one of the tones signs, f, are respectively green and purple to of the scale; and that by use of the invention a singer is enabled to produce the proper tones in their proper order by the simple device of associating in his mind one particular color with each one of the seven tones of the scale, beginning with the key note always blue. He therefore reads the colors instead of being required to observe the position on the clef of the written note an flat show that the corresponding notes m1 and s1 are sharp, while the music 1n the treble clef still has the key note blue in the key of D as in any other key, and similarly in the bass clef, the do is red. The position of the red or blue note itself shows the key, in addition to which the color of the sharp or at sign shows which tones in the scale are to be tlatted or sharped. Fig. 4 illustrates the the same time attend to the sharp an scale in the key of B flat, from which it will signs. Having once begun with the correct be observed that the same scheme still prenote he follows by the sole guidance of the rails, the fiat signs, g, being in the colors colors. It will be clear that children and beginners will thus find the singing of music greatly simplified; while with the chart G the matter of playing instrumental music becomes the simple action of striking that note on the instrument which is indicated on the chart by the same color as that o brown and blue. If the clef signs have the colors of the original note tones as above described, the key may be more readily borne in mind.

facilitate the playing of the In order to music on instruments, I also provide for each key, a special color chart, 0, which being written note.

laced over or near the key-board, is, will Other advantages of the invention will indicate the key to be struck by the same readily occur to those familiar with this art. color as that appearing in the note to be I claim as my invention the following: played. For example, whenever the player The combination with pieces of music sees a blue note,whatever key he may be written in diiferent keys, each piece having playing 1n,-he knows that he is to strike the notes of each octave provided with disthe key indicated by the blue color on the tinctive colors arranged in a pre-determlned chart. To allowfor the half tones, white order from the basic note of the key, and the spaces are .left between the colored sections color of the basic notes of the several pieces of the chart, so that it becomes easier to being the same, and a plurality of charts for locate the sharps and flats in playing. For each key the chart is arranged differently, so that the blue color always comes opposite the key note, it being understood of course,

detachably engaging the keyboard of an instrument, one for each key, each chart havwith the keys of the instrument and the that there are fifteen charts arranged in a colors on each chart being arranged in the different manne Fig. 5 illustrates the use same order as the colors for the notes of the of such a chart on a piano key-board in l corresponding piece and. alining with the connection with music written according to key of the instrument that produces the tone my invention. It is to be understood that the the same or similar charts can be used with any musical instrument by placing them in any convenient position near the key-board.

When the chart is used in connection with of the correspondingly colored note of piece in the same octave. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name this 19 day of August, 1909, in the presence of the two subscribed witthe written music the key note of both the nesses. bass and treble clef is blue instead of having ROBERT J. GRANT. the key note of the bass red, as this permits Witnesses:

a uniform arrangement of colors on the FRED. STAUB, chart for the piano.

CHAS. S. LnrLnY.

f the 99 ing colored sections thereon adapted to aline 

